JP2008261922A - Method for creating pattern data of photomask for multiple exposure technique - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for relatively easily creating a pattern data of a photomask for multiple exposure techniques with high positional accuracy by controlling the pattern density of each photomask to be almost equal to others in a plurality of photomasks for multiple exposure. <P>SOLUTION: The method for creating a pattern data of a photomask for multiple exposure techniques is to be applied for multiple patterning using a plurality of photomasks prepared by dividing a designed pattern; and the method is characterized in that the pattern is divided to render the area of each pattern set to be almost equal to others in each pattern set in the plurality of photomasks after dividing the pattern. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photomask pattern data generation method used in a multiple exposure technique in which multiple patterning is performed using a plurality of photomasks (also referred to as masks in this specification).

  The optical lithography technology is a key technology for high integration of semiconductor integrated circuits, but in recent years, the resolution required in the optical lithography technology is approaching the limit area, such as being less than 1/2 of the exposure wavelength. . Thus, as a method for making full use of the resolution of the current photolithography technique, a multiple exposure technique such as a multiple patterning method has been studied.

Hereinafter, in the present specification, a double exposure technique (double patterning exposure technique, also referred to as double patterning lithography, DPL) in which exposure is performed twice among multiple exposure techniques will be described.
In the double exposure technique, if a striped pattern having a pitch twice as slow as the required pattern is exposed, and then the same pattern is exposed again by shifting by half a pitch, a pattern having a pitch of 1/2 of the mask pattern, That is, it is based on the principle that a pattern having a required pitch is transferred onto a wafer. According to such a technique, the minimum pitch, which is a limitation of mask pattern transfer, is divided into a plurality of photomasks, and the process can be made narrower by performing the process a plurality of times. The minimum pitch limit is given by the formula 0.5 × λ / NA (where λ is the exposure wavelength and NA is the numerical aperture of the lens of the exposure apparatus).

  However, in the case of simple multiple exposure that only divides the minimum pitch pattern as described above, the exposure patterns that are separately formed may overlap as latent images and may not be separated as patterns. Therefore, for example, a double exposure technique such as a double line system shown in FIG. 11 or a double trench system shown in FIG. 12 has been proposed. In either method, two photomasks are used and the resist process is performed twice. Next, the double exposure technique will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a manufacturing process in a double exposure technique using a double line method. First, (a) a hard mask (also referred to as HM) 112 is provided on a wafer substrate 111, and a first resist 113 is formed. (B) A first exposure process using the first exposure mask 114 is performed. Next, (c) through a first resist development process, (d) an etching process of HM112 is performed to form an HM pattern 112A. Further, (e) a second resist 115 application step, (f) a second exposure step using the second exposure mask 116, and (g) a second development step, a hard mask pattern is formed on the substrate 111. A desired pattern based on the design pattern consisting of 112A and resist pattern 115A can be obtained, and subsequent wafer processing steps can be performed.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a manufacturing process in a double exposure technique using a double trench method. First, (a) a hard mask 122 is provided on a wafer substrate 121, a first resist 123 is applied, and (b) ) A first exposure process using the first exposure mask 124 is performed. Next, (c) after a first resist development step, (d) a first HM etching step is performed to form an HM pattern 122A. Furthermore, (e) a second resist 125 coating step, (f) a second exposure step using the second exposure mask 126, (g) a second resist development step, (h) a second time The HM etching process is performed, and finally (9) a resist stripping process is performed, and a desired pattern based on the design pattern composed of the hard mask pattern 122B can be obtained on the substrate 121, and the subsequent wafer processing process is performed. be able to.

  As shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. 12, in the double exposure technique, in order to obtain a desired pattern shape, the pattern is divided into two photomasks, and the first exposure masks 114 and 124 and the second exposure masks. Two masks of the first exposure masks 116 and 126 are used. In order to synthesize a complex and fine LSI pattern into one on a wafer using two photomasks, the positional accuracy of the pattern in each mask is extremely important.

  In ITRS 2006 Update for predicting semiconductor technology, as new mask specifications corresponding to double exposure technology (DPL), position accuracy for DPL (referred to as Image Placement: IP), dimensional difference between masks (Difference CD-MTT: DCD) (Non-Patent Document 1). According to it, in 2013, when the DRAM half pitch is 32 nm, the photomask IP for the normal single exposure technology is 3.4 nm, and the dimensional accuracy (referred to as “Mean To Target: MTT”) is 2.6 nm. The DPL photomask is expected to have an IP of 2.4 nm and a dimensional difference between the masks of 1.3 nm, and is required to be stricter than a normal mask.

  Factors related to the photomask position accuracy include the positioning accuracy of the drawing device, the accuracy of the mask manufacturing device such as fluctuations in the drawing electron beam, or the stress of the pattern film after patterning. As a breakdown of the positional accuracy error of the photomask pattern for double exposure technology, as shown in FIG. 13, the pattern density, the correction residual, the mask blank type and the flatness are listed. Among these factors, the pattern density is It accounts for almost half, accounting for 47% (non-patent document 2).

  When a plurality of resist processes are performed using a plurality of photomasks, dimensional errors between masks and overlay accuracy (overlay) errors affect the dimensions on the wafer. Although the overall dimensional error of the photomask can be changed depending on the exposure conditions, the positional accuracy error of the photomask pattern directly affects the positional accuracy on the wafer. For this reason, it is necessary to improve the pattern position accuracy on the photomask and reduce the dimensional difference between the masks.

  In such a technical background, the conventional double exposure technology (DPL) photomask pattern division method is a pattern data creation method for dividing a pattern having the minimum pitch in a design pattern into a plurality of photomask patterns, Alternatively, in the design pattern as illustrated in FIG. 8, the interval between the polygons constituting the pattern is checked and divided when the interval is narrower than the set rule. As shown in FIG. A pattern data generation method or the like that is simply divided into (FIG. 9A) and mask 2 (FIG. 9B) has been used.

However, in the photomask according to the conventional pattern data creation method described above, as shown in FIG. 10, when a pattern is transferred onto a wafer, for example, when there is a position error in at least one mask (FIG. An example is a case where there is a position error.), There is a problem that a pattern position error occurs on the wafer.
International Technology Roadmap For Semiconductors 2006 Update, Lithography, p. 8. Semiconductor Technology Roadmap Technical Committee (2006) J. et al. G. Doh et al. , “Feasibility study of mask fabrication in double exposure technology”, Proc. of SPIE, vol. 6349, 6491U-4 (2006)

  As described above, in the conventional method for creating photomask pattern data for a multiple exposure technique, the difference in position accuracy of a plurality of photomasks greatly affects the production of a photomask for a multiple exposure technique. There is a problem that a plurality of photomasks with high registration cannot be easily created. Further, as shown in Non-Patent Document 2, even if it is pointed out that the pattern density is a large factor affecting the position accuracy of the photomask, no solution method for reducing the mask position error due to the pattern density has been found. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to make multiple photomasks for multiple exposure have the same pattern density for each photomask and multiple exposure with high positional accuracy. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for generating pattern data of a technical photomask relatively easily.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a method for creating photomask pattern data for a multiple exposure technique according to the first aspect of the present invention is for a multiple exposure technique in which multiple patterning is performed using a plurality of photomasks obtained by dividing a design pattern. A pattern data creation method for a photomask, wherein in each pattern set of the plurality of photomasks after the pattern division, pattern division is performed so that the areas of the respective pattern sets are substantially equal. is there.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photomask pattern data creation method for a multiple exposure technology photomask pattern data creation method according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the design pattern of the multiple exposure technology photomask pattern data is generated when the pattern is divided. Extracting intervals that require pattern division, selecting polygons that need to be divided based on the extracted intervals that require pattern division, dividing the selected polygons and classifying them into respective pattern sets, The remaining polygons that do not require pattern division are reclassified into any one of the respective pattern sets so that the areas of the respective pattern sets are brought close to each other.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photomask pattern data generation method for a multiple exposure technology photomask according to the second aspect of the present invention. The areas of the sets are made to be almost equal, and the areas of the vertical pattern, the horizontal pattern, and the large pattern as the pattern classification included in each of the pattern sets are made closer to each other between the respective pattern sets. To do.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photomask pattern data generation method for a multiple exposure technology photomask pattern data generation method according to the first aspect, wherein the design pattern is applied when the pattern is divided. When there are a plurality of cells of the same type, the minimum pitch pattern of one cell of the same type is divided into each pattern set of a plurality of photomasks, and the next cell of the same type is a polygon set to be distributed to each of the pattern sets. By reversing, the area of each pattern set is made closer.

  The pattern data creation method for a photomask for multiple exposure technology according to the invention of claim 5 is the pattern data creation method for a photomask for multiple exposure technology according to claim 4, wherein each of the patterns is divided upon the pattern division. The areas of the sets are made to be almost equal, and the areas of the vertical pattern, the horizontal pattern, and the large pattern as the pattern classification included in each of the pattern sets are made closer to each other between the respective pattern sets. To do.

  According to the method for creating photomask pattern data for the multiple exposure technique of the present invention, each photomask after pattern division is obtained by making the area of each pattern set of the plurality of photomasks after pattern division approximately equal. The pattern density and pattern aspect of the mask are approximated. As a result, the finishing accuracy of each photomask approaches and the difference in dimensional error between each photomask can be reduced. A plurality of photomasks can be obtained, and multiple exposure with excellent positional accuracy is possible.

In this specification, a double exposure technique (DPL) in which exposure is performed twice in the multiple exposure technique will be described. However, the concept of the present invention also applies to an exposure technique related to multiple patterning in which exposure is performed three times or more. It is possible to apply.
Hereinafter, a pattern data creation method for a photomask for double exposure technology according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an original design pattern for explaining a pattern data creation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the photomask design pattern is usually composed of a plurality of polygons.

  When the original design pattern shown in FIG. 1 is divided into two photomask patterns, first, as shown in FIG. 2, an interval 21 that requires pattern division of the design pattern is extracted. When the interval between the polygons is smaller than a predetermined value set as a division target or when the pitch is small, the polygon is selected as a polygon that needs to be divided.

  Next, the selected polygon that needs pattern division is divided. At this time, even if it is a single polygon, the polygon extracted that needs to be divided becomes a target of division, and is divided at a predetermined position in one polygon.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the original design pattern is classified into two pattern sets, pattern A and pattern B, each composed of polygons after division. In FIG. 3, the contact surfaces of the polygons classified into the pattern A and the pattern B are overlapped with the pattern A and the pattern B by a predetermined width in order to prevent the pattern from being cut (see FIG. 5 described later). Is the same).

Next, as a guide, the areas of pattern A and pattern B at this stage are obtained. At this stage, polygons that do not require pattern division are also temporarily classified as either pattern A or pattern B.
In the example shown in FIG. 3, the ratio of the areas of pattern A and pattern B obtained as a guide is pattern A / pattern B = 11.9 / 16.8 = 0.71, and pattern B has a considerably larger area. It shows a state that is a large pattern set.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the areas of patterns A and B that are pattern sets are substantially equal for polygons that are originally intervals that do not require pattern division (in the present invention, referred to as remaining polygons). In order to make them closer to each other, reclassification is made into either pattern A or pattern B, and a divided pattern after reclassification is formed as shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, the ratio of the area of the pattern A and the pattern B is pattern A / pattern B = 14.8 / 13.8 = 1.07, which is improved from the area obtained as a guideline. The area of the pattern A and the area of the pattern B are almost equal. Although not shown, in the two photomasks for the double exposure technique, one is composed of the A pattern shown in FIG. 5, and the other is composed of the B pattern shown in FIG.

  As described above, the pattern density and the pattern aspect after pattern division are approximated by bringing the pattern sets of the two photomasks after pattern division and the areas of pattern A and pattern B close to each other. The accuracy of the finish of the two photomasks approaches, the difference in dimensional error between each photomask can be reduced, and a pattern data formation method with high positional accuracy is possible, for high exposure accuracy double exposure technology A photomask can be obtained, and double exposure with excellent positional accuracy is possible.

(Another method of the first embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the case where polygons that do not require pattern division are temporarily classified as either pattern A or pattern B as shown in FIG. 3 has been described. Can be omitted.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the interval 21 that requires pattern division of the design pattern is extracted, and after selecting the polygons that need to be divided, only the selected polygons are divided, and as shown in FIG. Each pattern set composed of the subsequent polygons is classified as pattern A and pattern B. At this time, polygons that do not require pattern division are left without division (remaining polygons). Next, the remaining polygons are reclassified as either pattern A or pattern B so that the areas of pattern A and pattern B, which are pattern sets, are approximately equal, as shown in FIG. A divided pattern after reclassification is formed.

(Second embodiment)
A pattern data creation method according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the present embodiment, in addition to the method of the first embodiment in which the area of each pattern set is made to be substantially equal in the above pattern division, the vertical pattern as a pattern classification included in each pattern set is used. The areas of the horizontal pattern and the large pattern are brought close to each other between the respective pattern sets.

  Here, in the present invention, a vertical pattern, a horizontal pattern, and a large pattern are a pattern consisting of a polygon long in the X direction (horizontal direction) when a design pattern composed of polygons is displayed on the X and Y coordinates. A pattern composed of polygons that are long in the Y direction (vertical direction) is defined as a vertical pattern, and a polygon that is larger in at least one direction in the X and Y directions than other adjacent polygons is defined as a large pattern. Therefore, it is easy to distinguish between a vertical pattern, a horizontal pattern, and a large pattern.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the area ratio of pattern A and pattern B (referred to as the aspect ratio (A / B)) obtained in the middle of the pattern data creation method of the present invention is 0.86, and the vertical pattern. The area ratio of pattern A to pattern B (denoted as the longitudinal ratio (A / B)) is 0.35, and the area ratio of pattern A to pattern B of the large pattern (denoted as large ratio (A / B)) is 0. 65.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the area ratio after pattern reclassification is 1.27 for the pattern A and pattern B of the horizontal pattern (A / B), and the pattern A and pattern of the vertical pattern. The area ratio of B (vertical ratio (A / B)) is 1.35, and the area ratio of large pattern A and pattern B (large ratio (A / B)) is 0.65. Before and after the pattern reclassification, the large ratio (A / B) does not change, and the aspect ratio (A / B) and the aspect ratio (A / B) are increased in pattern A than before the reclassification. And the vertical pattern are balanced, and the density of the pattern A and the pattern B becomes more uniform, indicating a preferable state.

  By using the pattern data creation method of the second embodiment in combination with the method described in the first embodiment, the accuracy of the finish of the two photomasks can be further improved, and the dimensional error of each photomask can be reduced. The difference can be made smaller, a pattern data creation method with high positional accuracy becomes possible, a photomask for double exposure technology with high positional accuracy can be obtained, and double exposure with excellent positional accuracy becomes possible. .

(Third embodiment)
A pattern data creation method according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, when there are a plurality of the same type of cells (two on the left and right in FIG. 6) at the time of pattern division, as shown in FIG. The left cell) is divided based on the condition for dividing the minimum pitch pattern into a plurality of masks to form pattern A and pattern B, which are the respective set of patterns. This is a method of reversing the polygon set to be assigned to the pattern set and replacing the pattern A and the pattern B so that the area of each pattern set is made closer. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the areas of pattern A and pattern B are equal.

  According to the method of the third embodiment described above, the pattern aggregates of the two photomasks after pattern division, the areas of pattern A and pattern B are equal, the pattern density after pattern division, and the pattern appearance Approximates the accuracy of the finish of the two photomasks, makes it possible to reduce the difference between the dimensional errors of each photomask, and enables a pattern data creation method with high positional accuracy, and doubles high positional accuracy. A photomask for exposure technology can be obtained, and double exposure with excellent positional accuracy is possible.

  When there are three or more cells of the same type, when the number of cells is an even number, the method of the present embodiment can be applied as it is, and when the number of cells is an odd number, only one cell is the first of the present invention. The method of this embodiment can be applied to the remaining even number of cells by the method described in the second embodiment or the second embodiment.

(Fourth embodiment)
A pattern data creation method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
This embodiment is described in the second embodiment in addition to the method of the third embodiment in which when there are a plurality of cells of the same type during pattern division, the area of each pattern set is made to be almost equal. Similarly to the pattern data creation method, the areas of the vertical pattern, the horizontal pattern, and the large pattern as pattern classifications included in each pattern set are made closer to each other between the pattern sets.

  By using the pattern data creation method of the fourth embodiment in combination with the method described in the third embodiment, the accuracy of the finish of the two photomasks can be further improved, and the dimensional error of each photomask can be reduced. The difference can be made smaller, a pattern data creation method with high positional accuracy becomes possible, a photomask for double exposure technology with high positional accuracy can be obtained, and double exposure with excellent positional accuracy becomes possible. .

It is a plane schematic diagram of the original design pattern which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a plane schematic diagram explaining the process of extracting the space | interval which needs the division | segmentation of the design pattern shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing division of the original design pattern shown in FIG. 1 following FIG. 2. It is a plane schematic diagram which shows the remaining polygon which does not require a division | segmentation in the design pattern shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a divided pattern after pattern reclassification, following FIG. 4. It is a plane schematic diagram of the design pattern in which there are a plurality of similar cells according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a plane schematic diagram which shows the division | segmentation pattern of the design pattern shown in FIG. It is a plane schematic diagram of the design pattern for demonstrating the conventional pattern data creation method. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of a mask obtained by dividing the design pattern shown in FIG. 8 by a conventional pattern data generation method. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of a mask and a wafer for explaining the positional error of the mask shown in FIG. 9. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the manufacturing process in the double exposure technique by a double line system. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the manufacturing process in the double exposure technique by a double trench system. It is a figure explaining the breakdown of the factor of the position accuracy error of the photomask pattern for double exposure techniques.

Explanation of symbols

21 Spacing 111, 121 Wafer substrate 112, 122 Hard mask 112A, 122A, 122B Hard mask pattern 113, 115, 123, 125 Resist 113A, 115A, 123A, 125A Resist pattern 114, 124 For first exposure Mask 116, 126 Mask for second exposure

Claims (5)

A pattern data creation method for a photomask for multiple exposure technology in which multiple patterning is performed using a plurality of photomasks obtained by dividing a design pattern,
A pattern data creation method for a photomask for a multiple exposure technique, wherein pattern division is performed in each pattern set of the plurality of photomasks after the pattern division so that the areas of the respective pattern sets are substantially equal. In the pattern division, an interval that requires pattern division of the design pattern is extracted,
Select the polygons that need to be divided based on the intervals that require the extracted pattern division,
The selected polygon is divided and classified into each pattern set,
2. The multiplex according to claim 1, wherein the remaining polygons that do not require pattern division are reclassified into any one of the respective pattern sets so that the areas of the respective pattern sets are made substantially equal to each other. Photomask pattern data creation method for exposure technology.   In the pattern division, the respective pattern sets are brought close to each other so that the areas of the respective pattern sets are substantially equal, and the areas of the vertical pattern, the horizontal pattern, and the large pattern as the pattern classification included in each of the pattern sets are The pattern data creation method for a photomask for multiple exposure technology according to claim 2, wherein the pattern sets are made close to each other. When there are a plurality of cells of the same kind in the design pattern at the time of pattern division, the minimum pitch pattern of one cell of the same kind is divided into each pattern set of a plurality of photomasks,
2. The photomask for multi-exposure technology according to claim 1, wherein the next cell of the same type makes the area of each pattern set closer by reversing the polygon set assigned to each pattern set. Pattern data creation method.   In the pattern division, the respective pattern sets are brought close to each other so that the areas of the respective pattern sets are substantially equal, and the areas of the vertical pattern, the horizontal pattern, and the large pattern as the pattern classification included in each of the pattern sets are 5. The pattern data creation method for a photomask for multiple exposure technology according to claim 4, wherein the pattern sets are made close to each other.